*** Julie Miller

BLUE PONY

(HighTone)

Like Gillian Welch and Iris DeMent, Miller draws more on country's rugged past than on the slick formulas that rule Nashville today. The Texas-bred writer is joined by her husband, neo-trad singer/guitarist Buddy Miller, who duets with her on "Take Me Back." Tammy Rodgers's soulful fiddle accentuates the torment and guilt of the song. Harmonizing with Steve Earle on "I Call on You," Julie brings up God and drug addiction. "The devil is an angel too," she warns in a raspy voice that's both childlike and wizened; "Her amnesia is her only anesthesia." Yet Miller offers faith amid the fear. Blue Pony is ultimately an album of redemption, scary as its path may be.

-- Bruce Sylvester